


The Pooh Addendum

by fieryrondo



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Contracts, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Yuzuru pulls a fast one on Brian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8906842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieryrondo/pseuds/fieryrondo
Summary: Brian Orser flies to Sendai to finalize his coaching contract with Japan’s rising star, Yuzuru Hanyu. He expects negotiations to be a snap. Boy is he ever wrong.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written in honor of Brian Orser's birthday. Ever wondered how Yuzuru roped Brian Orser into carrying his beloved Pooh bear around at competitions? As much as we’d like to believe in the potency of Yuzu’s puppy dog eyes (a formidable power indeed), here’s my take on how this arrangement was actually made.
> 
> Usual RPF disclaimer applies. This is a work of complete and utter fiction and characters portrayed bear no resemblance to their real-life counterparts.

The first thing Brian Orser sees when he steps into the boardroom was _that._

 

Hanyu’s Pooh. Or Pooh tissue box if one wanted to be anatomically correct. As a coach, anatomy was a topic of interest for Brian, since it was integral to sports coaching. It helped him assess his skaters and figure out their training regimens, which muscles to work on, which training menus to prepare. The bear's bright yellow and red coloring contrasted starkly with the sleek dark wood of the table it sat on, its sewn eyes gazing up at Brian in an enigmatic smile.

 

_Okay, first item of business after the contract’s executed, we’re ditching the bear._

 

“Hello, Orser-san!” Seventeen year old Yuzuru Hanyu, newly minted 2012 Worlds Bronze Medalist, bounces up from one of the seats at the table, his tie askew, blazer unbuttoned. He looked as if he had just come from straight from school. From the corner of his eye, Brian can see what looks like a mathematics book strewn on the table. Yuzuru's smiling with such earnestness that Brian can’t help but grin back. He warmly extends his hand out for a greeting just as Yuzuru’s head dips into a deep bow. Brian finds himself bowing back as Yuzuru takes his hand and shakes it vigorously.

 

“Working on your homework right now, young man?” Brian asks. There is an awkward pause and Brian can see the kid’s brow furrows furiously in concentration. He makes a note to speak more slowly, and enunciate more clearly.

 

“Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Orser.” Brian starts a little when Daichi Nakamura, a representative from the JSF who would be serving as a liaison for Yuzuru, seems to materialize out of the shadows. He speaks quietly to young Yuzuru, who settles down immediately, schools his features into a more neutral expression and answers rapidly in Japanese.

 

“Hanyu- _senshu_ would like to extend his words of welcome to you, Mr. Orser,” Nakamura says to Brian, after Yuzuru had finished and sat back down in his seat. He invites Brian to sit down and Brian does, choosing the seat across from Yuzuru.  “He apologizes for the inconvenience but would feel more comfortable speaking in Japanese as he feels he still needs to work on his English. I will act as translator for the final phase of the contract execution process. Are you agreeable with this arrangement?”

 

“Yes, of course, that works for me,” Brian says. He expected as much, with the language barrier issue, and is already wondering if he isn’t in over his head already. Not that he hasn’t had experience in coaching international skaters speaking English as a secondary language, but both Yuna and Javier had considerably stronger English skills compared to Yuzuru. Perhaps he could arrange for English courses? They had plenty of those, online, right?

 

“We have reviewed the initial draft of the contract, outlining the terms for your coaching arrangement with Hanyu- _senshu_.”

 

“Initial draft…?” Brian had sent over his standard coaching contract a week ago, the one that he used for Yuna and Javier and the rest of his skaters and there had never been any issue. Javier had signed it right then and there and even Yuna’s mother, iron woman she was, had only requested the contract to be translated into Korean before penning her signature.

 

“We have seen fit to make a few amendments to the contract, given the uniqueness of Hanyu- _senshu_ ’s situation,” Nakamura explains and hands a copy of the revised contract to Brian. It’s considerably longer and more detailed than before, with a few additional attachments included at the end. There’s a lot of changes marked in red and Brian gets dizzy just looking at the thing. It is easily the most complicated looking contract Brian has ever laid eyes on. Brian skims it over; most of the changes are clarifying points in nature, seeking only to define more clearly what Brian had laid out previously in generalized terms. The point regarding costume choice seemed oddly adamant, though.

 

“About the costume choice clause you’ve added in line 170…”

 

Nakamura consults with Yuzuru first before answering.

 

“Hanyu- _senshu_ wishes to convey that while he welcomes any feedback or advice from you or any qualified member of your coaching staff, he wishes to make it clear that he has complete control over his costume choices in his skating programs. This is very important to him, since the costumes are integral to his vision of what the program looks like when he skates.”

 

Drat, and here Brian was hoping he would see the last of those weird Johnny-Weir inspired get-ups that Yuzuru seemed hopelessly enamored with every other season. Still, Brian could at least content himself that even if Yuzuru decided to skate in a horrifying vision of sparkles, sequins and feathers that would send any designer into cardiac arrest, Brian would do his damned best to make sure the boy had the best jumps and step sequences to match. Maybe the boy wouldn't win any fashion contests but no one would be able to question his skating skills.

 

“The same principle applies to his music selection and choreography,” Nakamura continues. “Hanyu- _senshu_ was blessed with Nanami Abe- _sensei_ , a very gifted coach as well as choreographer, so he has a very strong sense of his own style that he wishes to retain throughout his development as a skater, and has little patience for working with individuals who do not understand his vision. I recommend selecting his future choreographers with care.”

 

Brian sends up a prayer of thanks, immensely glad that he has Jeffrey Buttle, Shae-Lynn Bourne and David Wilson all on speed-dial.

 

“I’m agreeable to that,” Brian says. “My coaching philosophy is to encourage my skaters to think of all the possibilities, consider the best options and to make their own choices...I don’t push them into doing something they don’t want to. Skaters do their best when they motivate themselves and I’ll do my best to make sure Yuzuru is in the best environment to stay motivated.”

 

“That is an admirable sentiment, which I have conveyed with Hanyu- _senshu_ ,” Nakamura says. “Did you have any other questions regarding the amendments?”

 

Brian turns two more pages and his eyebrows lift in astonishment.

 

“Yuzuru, you’re going to be traveling back and forth between Japan and Canada for training? Are you still in school?” Brian shudders and mourns all of the lost hours of training and resting time due to the insane commute.

 

Yuzuru seems to grasp what he was saying and vigorously nods.

 

“High school,” he says and steeples his fingers.

 

“Skating and studies are both of equal importance to Hanyu- _senshu_ ,” Nakamura affirms. “He is entering his third year at Touhoku Senior High, and wishes to continue with his classes and have a strong finish so he can attend a competitive university. You need not concern yourself with the travel arrangements. As he is still underage, his mother will be traveling with him, and she will work with the JSF to coordinate the travel arrangements. Hanyu- _senshu_ is fully aware of the challenges this presents but is confident in his capability to be successful in his skating and in his studies.”

 

Brian just nods and turns another page, his mind still reeling from the sheer dedication of the kid. You’d have to be near superhuman to juggle the schedule proposed. Most competitive figure skaters had difficulty just skating full-time, let alone train competitively while juggling a full load of classes. Javi could never do it, Brian thinks wistfully and brightens at the implications of bringing Yuzuru’s work ethic to the Cricket Club. Maybe it would rub off on the others.

 

Upon looking at the subsequent page, Brian’s eyes bugs out and he chokes. Nakamura, serenely looks on before offering him a glass of water.

 

“I’m sorry, maybe I don’t have my contacts on--” (the contacts were on) “Is this number correct? I’m concerned that Yuzuru won’t have enough training time if he’s signed up for this many--”

 

Nakamura inspects the number on the page before consulting with Yuzuru. The man nods before pulling out a red pen.

 

“Thank you for catching that, Mr. Orser. It seems there was a typo on the number of ice shows Hanyu- _senshu_ has lined up for this off-season.” Before Brian can breathe out a sigh of relief, to his mute horror, Nakamura adds _another_ zero, increasing the magnitude of ice shows Yuzuru has signed up in the summer to perform in by a factor of ten. Brian stares, frozen in his disbelief.

 

Nakamura, perhaps sensing his radiating distress, refills his water glass.

 

“Hanyu- _senshu_ appreciates your concern in regard to his off-season schedule. He, too, is similarly worried that given the time constraints of traveling to your facility, he will be lacking in skating hours and has considered the number of ice shows very carefully in light of this worry. But perhaps the number of ice-shows is not enough, should we increase it, Mr. Orser—?”

 

“No, no, it’s fine. Keep it.” Brian cuts him off, even though he’s aware it’s rude. But he can’t help it; Yuzuru’s health was in jeopardy and if he was even half serious about adding yet another zero to that insane number of shows on the page, Brian was sorely tempted to rip up that contract, grab the kid and send him on a direct flight back to Toronto before the kid could hurt himself further. Never mind that by doing so, he would be charged with kidnapping on an international level.

 

“Any more questions?”

 

“Everything else looks good,” Brian says after skimming the rest of the pages and to his relief, the rest of the terms does look acceptable. There is a weird line about tightening security detail at the Cricket Club, but Brian does not find himself terribly surprised, as the zeal of Japanese figure skating fans is legendary. The adjusted compensation fees are a tad more generous than he expected. The JSF really does look after its skaters, Brian muses, as Nakamura prints up a clean copy of the revised contract and hands it to him. With a flourish, Brian pens his signature on the last page. Yuzuru’s signature, as well as his parents’ signatures, was already affixed to the contract.

 

Yuzuru claps adorably when Brian hands the executed contract back to Nakamura, who files the original contract away in his briefcase and provides Brian with his own copy.

 

“It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Orser,” Nakamura says warmly. They both rise to exchange closing pleasantries, and even Yuzuru joins in, eager to get in more handshaking practice. To celebrate, Nakamura recommends a local ramen shop just a ten-minute walk away. Brian thinks this is a good idea, and a chance for him to spend some time getting to know Yuzuru.

 

“Hanyu- _senshu_ would also like to introduce you to his family over dinner,” Nakamura explains as they exit the room. They wait for Yuzuru, who carefully scoops up his Pooh bear in his arms. To Brian’s bewilderment, the kid offers the bear to him.

 

“What? You want to show me your Pooh?”

 

“Practice,” Yuzuru cryptically answers, and follows up with another burst of Japanese. He thrusts the bear into Brian’s arms and skips off.

 

Brian turns to Nakamura, who, to his amazement, is snorting with laughter.

 

“Hanyu- _senshu_ wishes for you to practice holding his Pooh for future competition preparation,” Nakamura says.

 

It takes Brian a split second to realize the implications. “What makes him think that I’m going to do that?”

 

Nakamura only laughs harder. “You have to, if you wish to coach him. You signed for it after all.”

 

Brian fishes out the contract and leafs through the pages until he finds… _The Pooh Addendum_.

 

After reading it, he groans. The idea of a high school student pulling a fast one on him, he really is in way over his head, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. He looks at Pooh in his arms. It’s impossible, but Brian swears the stuffed bear is smirking.

 

“Looks like we’ll be working together, Mr. Pooh.”

**Author's Note:**

> The Pooh Addendum, dictated by Yuzuru Hanyu  
>  _(translated from Japanese by Daichi Nakamura, Skating Liaison of the Japanese Skating Federation)_
> 
> I, the undersigned (Brian Orser), agree to abide by the following terms and conditions as long as my coaching contract with Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, remains active. 
> 
> 1) I will respect Pooh-san’s role as Yuzuru Hanyu’s best friend and biggest supporter.
> 
> 2) I will carry Pooh-san and ensure his safety when Pooh-san’s proxy, Yuzuru Hanyu, is not available to do so. This may include carrying him to the Kiss and Cry, to the boards or to wherever his proxy is.
> 
> 3) Unless it is against tournament rules, Pooh-san will accompany his proxy to all tournaments he desires, unless other arrangements have been made. Other arrangements can only be made by unanimous agreement from both Yuzuru and Pooh-san. I will also respect Pooh-san’s desire to watch his proxy skate by making arrangements to ensure Pooh-san gets a good view from the boards.
> 
> 4) While Pooh-san is in my care, I will treat him well and take measures to ensure Pooh-san does not get lost, get kidnapped, or frightened. I agree to cuddle and kiss Pooh-san and offer comfort in other ways when Pooh-san needs it. (Or even when he does not, Pooh-san likes hugs and kisses).
> 
> 5) I recognize that Pooh-san has a very specific method of bathing and must NEVER be put in the washing machine. (The washing machine is death(!!!) for Pooh-san). If I am not confident in helping Pooh-san take a bath, I will inform his proxy immediately.
> 
> 6) I will ensure to look out for Pooh’s safety. Pooh-san is an adventurous bear so he may get into dangerous situations because he is having so much fun. This may be anything from making sure he is properly taped on the boards so he does not fall off on the ice or get knocked over by a careless skater or making sure he is not on the ground for someone to step on!! 
> 
> 7) In the event that Pooh-san gets hurt (:O), I will take every measure to keep Pooh-san from further injury by moving him. I will then notify his proxy as soon as possible, so Pooh-san can receive immediate medical treatment.
> 
> 8) I understand a happy Pooh-san is a full one! I will ensure that Pooh-san does not go hungry by filling his tissue box with plenty of tissues. I will also practice good hygiene and wash my hands before handling Pooh-san so he does not get dirty.
> 
> 9) If I have any other questions or concerns about Pooh-san and his needs, I will speak with his proxy. If proxy is not present, please consult with proxy’s mother. 
> 
> 10) I will respect and love Pooh-san as if he were my own.
> 
> Failure to meet any of the above requirements below may result in anything from a warning lecture from either Pooh-san, or Pooh-san’s proxy, Yuzuru Hanyu to an automatic termination of previously mentioned coaching contract. Severity of result will depend on frequency and nature of violation.
> 
> Signed by Brian Orser, Head Coach of Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club


End file.
